Garment stretcher



July 23, 1940.

A. J. MUELLER ET AL GARMENT STRETCHER Filed Aug. 29, 1938 Patented July 23,1940

UNITED STATES PATENT {OFFICE amaze GARMENT sran'rcnsa Anton I. Mueiler and PM w. Mueller,

' A Application sum 20, 1938, Serial No. 221,301 '1 Claims. (arm-w This invention relates to a garment stretcher of the insertable type and is more particularly intended for use in keeping the legs of trousers in shape, and in re-shaping the legs of laundry I trousers, although devices of the approximate form may be constructed for use in stretching garment sleeves and the like.

The primary object of the invention isato provide an improved expansible and contractible 2. stretcher which is made of a pair of like-formed adjustably secured frame parts.

' Another object is to provide a garment stretcher of a pair of like-formed frame parts and with improved cooperating adjustably secured means thereon.

A further object is to provide a garment stretcher with curved crease forming parts which under tension, become straightened.

Other objects and advantages will appear as 20 this description progresses and by referenceto the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of this improved garment stretcher.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1 taken in 25 the'directioh of the arrow 2. V

Figure 3 is an enlarged inverted horizontal elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 3.

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional elevation taken approximately on the line 4-4 30 of Fig. l;

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional elevation taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Figure 6-is a side elevation of the pair of frame 85 parts used in making the garment stretcher.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing, 1 designates the garment stretcher which is made of a pair of frame parts 8 and 9, the part i having right angular extensions II and H and 40 the part 9 having right angular extensions i2 and It, as more clearly shown in Fig. 6, which shows the dissembled frame parts I and I.

The frame parts are preferably made of flat resilient steel and each of the extensions II and u I! of respective parts I and on a side face thereof, is provided with a kinked portion I to form an inclined camsurface i5, and formed on a side face of each of the extensions l I and I 2 of respective parts 8 and 9 is a roughened surface 50 I, which may be made by cross-hatching or grooving aside face of respective extensions II and I2.

The extensions l0 and I2 of respective parts I and 9 when mounted together. are adapted to II have side face contact while the extensions ii and will have similar slidingcontact, and for holding the cooperating pairs of extensions in sliding contact, a pair of sleeves l1 and II are mounted over'the cooperating pair of extensions- II and I2, and a pair of sleeves I! and 2| 'are mounted over the pair of cooperating extensions H and it. The sleeve i1 is fastened to the end. of the extension ll of the part 2, and the sleeve II is fastened to the end of the extension I! of the part 9. The sleeve I! is fastened to the end of the 10 extension II of the part I and the sleeve II is fastened to the end of the extension ll of the part 9, the fastening or securing of the sleeves to the respective extensions, being by punching portions thereof in respective extensions, as indil5 cated at 2| in Fig. 5.

Before securing the sleeves. to the respective extensions, a slidable locking ring 22 is mounted over respective pairs of extensions, each locking ring when slid on cooperating pairs of extensions, being adapted to frictionaily clasp the cooperating-pairs of extensions so that they will be held against sliding relative to one another, and said locking rings also serving to release the frictional contact so that the extensions may slide relative 25 to one another.

In use, it is preferable to have a pair of garment stretchers 1 as shown, one for each trouser leg, and in engaging a stretcher in respective legs, the narrow end A of the'stretcher is inserted at the waist of the trousers B while the stretcher is in a contracted form. After the insertion of a stretcher in a trouser leg, the overlapping pair of angular extensions II and Ii are moved outwardly from one another until the trouser leg at that end is 36 made relatively taut on opposing parts thereof, where the creases are to be formed, and while being so held, the over engaging locking ring 22 is shifted into engagement with the cam surface IS on the kinked portion ll of the extension I0, 40 and the inner periphery of the locking ring will frictionally engage the cam surface [5 and the roughened surface IS on the extension l2, thereby holding the overlapping extensions in and I2 in gripped engagement against slipping.

The wide end C of the stretcher Thaving the overlapping extensions Ii and ii are then moved outwardly relative to one another to create tautness across the upper end of the trouser leg, and the locking ring 22 is secured into frictional engagement with the cam surface l5 of the extension l3 and the roughened surface it of the extension II for securely holding the extensions II and I8 against slipp ng.

For removal of this improved garment stretcher,

respective locking rings 22 are dis-engaged from respective cam surfaces II, thereby providing sliding release of the respectivepairs of extensions ll-l2 and ll-II. 1 Obviously, the flat steel material from which the garment stretcher is made, is preferably of non-rust and stainless material, as the garment stretcher in addition to being used for holding the garment legs in shape, can be used in garments which are laundered, and are held by the stretchers during the drying process. 1 From an inspection of Fig. 23 of respective frame parts 8 and butwardly their entire length, and the reason therefor, is to provide astructure whereby when the stretcher I is in expanded position in a trouser leg, the tautness of opposing sides of the trouser leg will approximately straighten the bows 23 into ?the positions shown in Fig. 1, so as to provide relatively straight creases as the garment stretcher is made of resilient flat metal.

Having thus described, the invention so that those skilled in the art will be able to practice the same, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed, it being understood that various changes in the device shown and described above in detail and not amounting to invention, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

What we claim is:

1. An adjustable joint for a garment stretcher having a pair of frame members, comprising ex- ..tensions on each frame member, means for hold- 1 ing the extensions in overlapped relation, means i formaintaining part of one of said extensions 3 in diverging relation 6, the leg portions said extension, a slide embracing said extensions between the end thereof and said diverged part and movable therealong toward and away from said diverged part, the internal dimension of the slide being less than the maximum exterior j for maintaining part i diverging relation from divergence of said overlapping extensions.

2t An adjustable joint for a garment stretcher having a pair of frame members, comprising extensions on each frame member, means for holding the extensions in overlapped relation, means of one of said extensions in the other extension, a slide embracing said extensions and movable therealong toward and away from said diverging part, the internal dimension of the slide being less than the maximum exterior divergence of said overlapping extensions, said slide being disposed on the side of said diverging means which is approached by the diverging means when the frame members are moved toward each other.

3. An adjustable joint for clothing stretcher, bars and the like, comprising a pair of adjacent,

relatively slidable sections, an intermediate portion of at least one of said sections being directed toward the other section to provide a resilient wedge-shaped portion between sections, and at least one separate sliding thimble snugly surrounding the sections where the sections are closely adjacent to one another between the 9 are bowed from the other extension, said means substantially spaced from the end of their adjacent portions between the spacing. means and the free end of the section containing the'same, said annulus having an interior diameter less than the maximum distance between the opposite exterior surfaces of said sections at the spaced regions thereof, and said annulus being arranged to slide over said adjacent portions and onto the spaced regions of said sections to frictionally grip the sections together with the annulus.

5. An adjustable joint for clothing stretcher bars and the like, comprising a pair of adjacent relatively slidable sections, an intermediate portion of at least one of the sections being directed away from the other section to provide a cam surface sloping toward the free end of said section, and at least one separate sliding annulus closely surrounding said sections where the sections are closely adjacent one another, said annulus being adapted to slide onto said sloping cam surface to effect a frictional grip between the sections.

6. An adjustable joint for clothing stretcher bars and the like comprising a pair of relatively slidable resilient metal sections having flat surface portions in close adjacence, an intermediate portion of one of said sections being bent out of alignment with said closely adjacent portions to provide a region whereat the sections are spaced from each other; a separate slide closely embracing said sections at their adjacent portions between said bent portion and the free end of said section and arranged to be moved onto said spaced region, the internal diameter of said slide being less than the maximum distance between opposite exterior surfaces of said portions at the spaced region.

7. Anadjustable joint for clothing stretcher bars and the like, comprising apair of adjacent relatively slidable sections of flat metal stock, a portion of at least one of said sections being deformed to provide a cam surface sloping in the when said sections are relatively moved to collapse the clothing stretcher, said annulus being adapted to slide onto said sloping cam surface to effect a frictional grip between sections.

ANTON J. MUELLER.'

PETER W. MUELLER. 

